TAGS:
watercolor painting
+
plein air

When it comes to putting additives into your paints, it just isn't the same as eating a Twinkie or bag of Doritos. Additives are necessary in some cases, especially for landscape artists who work with varying conditions when painting landscapes ....

Artists who step outside their studios take a leap of faith. When you determine that you are ready to create a plein air painting , you take a chance with lighting, composition, color, and time. All of these are variables that you need to contend with...

It’s only the beginning of June, and already I’m fantasizing about summer road trips and exotic jaunts. But then I remember that almost every time I go on vacation my glow wears off once the artists show up. Inevitably, I see a traveler who...

Astor Place by Emily Falco, watercolor painting, 14 1/2 x 14 1/2, 2009. It warms my heart when I hear artists expressing excitement about their chosen painting medium because artists are the ones in the business of knowing all the ins and outs of their...

Sonata of the Sea--Finale by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, 1908. One of my favorite movements in art is the Symbolist movement of the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. The artists were so free in exploring what mattered to them—personal...

The Coming Storm by George Inness, 1879, oil on canvas, 27 1/4 x 41 3/4. Are you as bored of pretty outdoor painting scenes as I am? My eyes just seem to glaze over when I see a plein air painting scene with picture perfect sunlight over an idyllic landscape...

Watercolor Painting Techniques for Every Moment of the Day Plein air artists are the first to tell you that you can go back to the same site over and over again during different times of day and it is like being in a whole other place. Light does that...

When plein air painting , one of the most enjoyable and facile medias I've found to work with has to be watercolors. Hands down. The supplies are minimal, you can paint quickly and move from place to place making sketches of what catches your interest...

My answer to that is nada! Zippo! Zilch! As the weather
heats up from coast to coast, now is the time when artists turn their attention
to the excitement of landscape painting. But I'll be honest with you. I'm still
intimidated by the whole landscape painting process. There seems to be so much
to contend with-the weather, changing lighting conditions, the weather, packing
correctly...did I mention the weather?

The Sensorium by Walton Ford, 2003, watercolor, gouache, pencil and ink on paper, 152.9 x 302.3 cm. Yes, that is a complete exaggeration. But my point is that a lot of times in the art world people tend to silo or separate genres of painting to such an...

Jacqueline Kamin paints with a
sculptural sensibility that isn’t at all foreign to her practice.
Earlier in her career she spent time as a bronze bust sculptor.
“Working with sculpture is a lot of fun,” Kamin says. “It is very
tactile and organic, but it takes a toll physically, and you aren’t
responsible for the whole process unless you have your own foundry.”

When I’m landscape painting I’m always drawn to the curious, in-between
places where the outdoors and indoors meet. This could be an
ivy-smothered barn that almost looks like it is disappearing into the
landscape, or an ocean view from an open window. The places where
architecture and the natural world collide make a composition
eye-catching and compelling because they integrate elements that we
usually think of as distinct and separate. Bringing them together
creates a tension that some of the landscape paintings I like best have
in common.

With summer in full swing, I've been spending as much time as
possible outdoors, going to concerts and plays, walking from place to
place when I do my errands, and just finding every excuse for an
outdoor excursion. Landscape painting is another perk of the season.
There's something invigorating about stepping outside and sharing space
with your subject matter--breathing the same air, seeing the same light,
and having an in-the-moment experience with the landscape.

Almost
any artist will tell you that there's a certain appeal to working
outdoors that can't be found anywhere else. With spring in full swing,
many of us have left our studios for our porches, backyards, and beyond.
To celebrate the season and all of the landscape art being made, here are 10 ways you can make the most of your next outdoor painting session.

Learn more about Mary Whyte’s full-length DVD. I'm a reader and studier by nature, but the lessons and techniques that I learn from books and magazines always seem to click much quicker when I watch an artist paint, rather than try to puzzle...